Fourt port day - Road to Hana

We took on the challenge of the Road to Hana today. We were in the rental car and on our way by 8:30 am. The sun was finally shining so we put down the top and hit the road!

Mile 1 is breathtaking - the curves and narrowness of the road seemed manageable; traffic is light. We are laughing and joking with each other, giddy with the potential of the day and the beauty of the nature we see!

Miles 2 through 18 or so are also extremely enjoyable, aside from the stress of the driving part. Andrew is a good sport about letting me drive, even though he is clearly terrified most of the time. The top is still down and the sun is warm, but traffic is picking up. We make frequent, but short, stops for photos of one gorgeous view after another. The pictures don't do it justice, I'm sorry to say. At the end of mile 15 it's about 11 am - we stopped for about an hour tops, including a 30 minute hike, and we are still speaking nicely to each other.

Refreshed by our hike and with the promise of being close to Hana, miles 19 through 41 are also fairly pleasant. We see more beautiful waterfalls and a black sand beach. Our energy, however, is starting to fade and we are both thinking about the options for returning to the cruise ship - both less than ideal. At mile 34 we reach Hana and stop for some hot banana bread and a pineapple/banana smoothie made from fruit straight from the tree!

Mile 42 we reach the end of the Road to Hana and the Oheo National Park. Here we trudge a mile to see the freshwater pools fed by waterfalls, and take a few more photos. The beauty of our surroundings are starting to become second place to the fact that we're hot, sweaty and dusty. Humor has been replaced by short, snide comments. We stop to ask the ranger which way back is our best option. Option one is to go back the way we came - narrow roads, lots of traffic and hundreds of hair-pin turns. Option two is to continue south which will eventually take us through the center of the island and back to the cruise ship. Because we have guide books and have researched our journey, we know that the road ahead has a reputation for being "treacherous", and is actually a "forbidden zone" in our rental car contract. The ranger tells us that we are at the precise mid-point either way, and assures us that continuing on is absolutely the better way back - so we glumly forge ahead. It is now 3 pm. At this point we've stopped for a total of approximately 90 minutes with a couple of short detours down side roads (one of which ended up as a dead end).

Miles 42 to 65 are basically hell. We have moved past a road on to what more closely resembles a wagon trail. It is barely wide enough for one car, yet is purposed for two; and to call it unpaved and rutted would be a compliment. In addition to this, there are cattle everywhere that need to be avoided. We are sun burnt and wind blown, with frazzled nerves. All communication has ceased, for the safety of all involved. It's 4:30 pm when we come to the end of this section of road.

Miles 65 to 90 are a bit better. The road is blacktop again and we are back up to two (narrow, but two) lanes. We are buoyed by the hopes that we will be back in our cabin in the next 60 minutes! We have to make one brief stop on the side of the road to secure the top of our Jeep - which is threatening to blow completely off in the gale-force wind that has come up. Despite this, we make it back to the cruise ship in time for a quick shower and dinner!

We've now both had a cocktail and a good meal, and the beautiful sites of the day are again outweighing the miserable patches. If we were to recommend this particular road trip to someone, we would suggest that you plan to overnight in Hana and drive back the second day. Your spouse and other passengers in the car will, no doubt, thank you for it!

P.S. As a lovely ending to our day, we found a parking spot about 100 yards from the cruise ship! The ship stays overnight in Maui tonight and heads on to Honolulu at 6 pm tomorrow.